Hello everyone. Everything is moving along very smoothly now and we at Seashore Construction Corp would like to thank you for cooperating with us so well during this project. 

Buildings #28, #29, & #32 are now complete and we are currently working on Building #30. Next week will be Building #31 - weather permitting. 

Thanks again and have a great 4th of July weeekend! 

NEW YORK (AP) — Herb Van Gent points his infrared gun at a square of still unpainted gray shingle and clicks the trigger. He gets an immediate temperature reading: 143 degrees and rising. Then he aims it 5 feet away to a square of roof I have just painted: 98 degrees and decreasing.

He smiles.

“A 45-degree difference and we’re only on the first coat,” he says. That means it also will be cooler inside the building, he says, saving energy.

Its 11 a.m. and we are on the roof of a New York retirement home, rolling out a thick, shiny white paint. Van Gent is one of a volunteer group that has come up here to paint the roof as part of a city-sponsored “cool roof” program.

The idea of painting roofs white is catching on across the country; Energy Secretary Steven Chu has said it could contribute to the fight against global warming.

“Cool roofs are one of the quickest and lowest-cost ways we can reduce our global carbon emissions and begin the hard work of slowing climate change,” said Chu in July, while announcing that Department of Energy buildings would be painted white wherever possible.

While white roofs keep homes cool in summer by letting less heat in, they have little impact on winter heating bills, according to the Cool Roof Rating Council, a non-profit group created in 1998 to research and implement the technology. That’s generally because the sun is less intense in winter, the group said, and less important as a heat source. The roofs do not let any more heat escape than other roofs, it said.

In Arizona, cool roofs are mandatory for state and state-funded buildings, while Philadelphia has an ambitious green energy plan that put cool roofs at its center.

In New York, with Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s blessing, the Department of Buildings and other public and private groups have vowed to paint 1 million square feet of roof on city-sponsored community buildings. Organizers have advertised on Craigslist for volunteers, promising that the painting is rewarding and fun.

I decided to give it a try.

There were half a dozen volunteers on the roof that day from Wayne, N.J.-based GAF Materials, which supplied the reflective white paint. Among them was technical specialist Steve Hecht, who showed me how to spread the paint.

“This should bring the temperature down 50 or 60 degrees,” Hecht said as I rolled a coat onto one small part of the roof.

Proponents say the idea is as sound for private homes as it is for big, residential apartment buildings. The Cool Roof Council provides information on materials and resources at its website, Coolroofs.org.

Philadelphia recently held a “cool roofs for free” competition, and a block of row houses won.

“The biggest difference is definitely when we wake up in the morning,” said Terry Jack, who organized her block’s winning entry. “I noticed the difference the very next morning after they painted the roof. It was a good 15 degrees cooler inside; it was much more livable.”

Workers are painting the roofs on both sides of her street with reflective white paint, and also insulating the houses. City officials hope to show that a white roof will reduce the amount of air conditioning used, saving energy and reducing electricity bills.

According to former California energy commissioner Arthur Rosenfeld, an average, 1,000-square-foot roof painted white can save 10 tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of emissions from one car for about 2 years. On a national scale, turning roofs cool could eliminate 2 billion tons of carbon dioxide, roughly the same as taking 20 million cars off the road for 20 years, according to Rosenfeld, who carried out his experiments with Hashem Akbari at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in California.

So far, many cities have been limited in their response. New York’s 1 million square feet of white roofs is a “very, very, very, conservative target,” said Akbari, who advised the city on its NYC Cool Roofs project.

“When you consider that a large box store or mall can have a roof of 200,000 square feet, the entire New York program is the equivalent of painting five of those stores,” he said.

But Akbari stressed it’s not just about white paint.

“Certainly, the white color helps, especially if it’s special reflective paint, but ultimately we want to see people using cool roof material when they have to change their roofs,” he said. “There are a whole range of materials that can reflect the heat.”

Sophisticated white roofing material can lie underneath a roof’s visible surface, he said, reflecting the sun’s heat while allowing a wider choice of colors on the surface.

“Definitely, aesthetics has held back the cool roof movement until now, but that is changing. You have a longer lasting roof without having to look bad,” said Akbari.

According to the Department of Energy, there are no federal tax credits for roof coatings, but there is a tax credit for using cool materials when replacing a roof.

—-USA Today

Description Of Work: 

Tore off 2 layers of asphalt roofing down to wood decking. They installed 30lb. asphalt felt paper underlayment to entire roof area. Installed GAF Weatherwatch ice and water shield to all valleys and low pitch areas of roof. Installed new flashings to all plumbing pipes. Installed C 3 1/2 “aluminum edge metal to perimeter of roof. Installed GAF Weather Blocker starter course shingles to perimeter of roof. Installed 30 yr. High Definition dimensional asphalt shingles to entire roof. Installed cap shingles to all hip and ridge areas. Removed siding on a dormer, and installed PVC coated aluminum to properly re-flash and reinstall existing siding. Installed a ridge vent to the main ridge. Wrapped rear chimney in galvanized metal mesh. Applied 2 base coats and 1 finish coat of stucco to rear chimney from roof line up. Supplied the permit. Cleaned up and removed all job related debris from site.

Member Comments: 

I was totally blown away with this company. I am single after 30 years of being with someone that is a super handy man……..and that includes roofing. I was very concerned over being “taken” with whomever I hired, and fortunately I joined Angie’s list and went off of comments made about Seashore Construction Corp. The owner came out, went on the roof, took pictures, and proceeded to tell me what was needed. Doing the entire roof may not have been the option for me, as finances were really tight. When I told him that, he had no problem pricing things separately for me in the invoice sent, as I may have had to do things one thing at a time. THAT right there impressed me. No pressure. And sure enough, the invoice came with the back roof area; front roof area, ridge vent, and chimney repair all listed and priced separately. Now, for the workers. Blew me away again….. They drove up, and 12 guys got out…….looked at the roof, and went into action. The roofing job was done in one day. (The chimney was done another) And cleanup??? Amazed me again……I couldn’t even tell they were there!! The chimney repair guys apparently came down before hand, removed my fence that leaned up against it, and set up scaffolding. Then when done, reinstalled the fence back. I will hire this company hands down again!

Additional Questions Answered when completing this report

How much did the final cost compare to the original estimate? right on

How does the value of the work compare to the price? I got exactly what I paid for

How far in advance did you schedule the work? more than 2 weeks

Did you find the company through Angie’s List? yes

If yes, which source(s)? website

Why did you choose this contractor? reputation

Have you used this company before? this is the first time I’ve used this company

What did you like most about this contractor? He was fair, and right to the point.

What did you like least about this contractor? Nothing.

What surprises came up during the course of the work? None

What words of advice would you give other members considering this contractor? none